As my last post indicated, we are MONTHS away from any major interior decor/design decisions for my kids’ bedrooms, but that isn’t stopping me from starting the process way too early. My daughter, who is 7, has OPINIONS, and lots and lots of them. But my sweet, mom-loving 5-year-old son will basically do whatever I want at this point in his life, so I’m leaning into that and starting the design process with his room.
The Old Big Boy Room
Let’s rewind Carsten’s new bedroom in the old house (full post, with sources, is here):
It was good. I was so happy with it at the time, especially since everything was repurposed from his nursery or purchased on a budget. My septuagenarian father and I painted everything (i.e., I painted and he sat in a chair telling me I was doing it wrong), so that was in budget, too. However, it feels a little less put-together two years later, likely because it was a hodgepodge of old and new, and we had to work with a weirdly shaped room and grandfathered-in Roman shades. I also think the feature wall color, Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, is too pigmented for my vision of the new room.
Anatomy of a Moody Room
The only thing I knew when I starting thinking about his room is that I wanted it to be dark and moody, but not so dark that it felt oppressive or suffocating. I often tell my kids that “hugs, not headlocks” are acceptable forms of embracing in our home, and that’s what I want the room to feel like when you enter: like a warm, comforting hug. As always, my non-designer self first heads to the ‘gram and starts looking for inspiration. Two accounts that have been giving me life recently are Sean Anderson Design (@seanandersondesign) and Moore House Design (@moorehousedesign). Both have perfected the Moody Room (intentional caps here because it deserves to be a proper noun), as evidence by these pictures:
2. and 3. Sean Anderson Design, Photo: @rettpeek for @luxemagazine;
4., 5., and 6., Moore House Design, Photo: @zackdezon.
All of these images are gorgeous, but the ones that I drew the most inspiration from were, perhaps unexpectedly, the two office photos by Sean Anderson. The paint color and general mood of the room are perfection. I’m really into painting the trim, ceiling, doors(!), and walls in the same color, along with window treatments also a very similar color (I see my son’s as Roman shades rather than drapes, but that could always change). That Moore House Design bedroom is stunning, but I think that for my son’s room, I want the colors slightly more muted. But I will take all the inspiration from them on bed linens and antique pendant lights
This is where I landed:
The only thing from his former bedroom on the mood board is the Frank headboard in Talc with a French seam (but I’ll also be using that amazing primitive bench again). I think it’s a nice contrast to all the the dark (and, more importantly, my husband will divorce me if I try to get my son a new bed). I’ve seen that large, conical semi-flush Rejuvenation fixture installed in so many rooms on the ‘gram, probably because it’s SO GOOD, and I like that it, like the headboard, brings some brightness to an otherwise dark room. Those vintage lights, that will hang over the Crate & Barrel bedside tables, are also Rejuvenation, but I’m also really into these two lights as high/low alternatives:
Now, the rug choice. I was so into that Elmont wool rug that I picked, I forgot to check the price (silly me) and it’s like $4k in the 9×12 size. My two options: get a smaller size of the Elmont rug and layer over an inexpensive sisal or jute rug, or re-pick. The Conway rug, also at McGee & Co., is a pretty and much more affordable alternative. However, for a real deal, I’m probably going to have to do a deep dive on Etsy.
Right: Conway rug
I have never used Sherwin Williams paint, but that Pewter Green is just the perfect balance of muted pigment. However, it’s basically a placeholder until we get into the space and can see how different paints work with the light in my son’s room, which will be west-facing and doesn’t get a ton of light until the afternoon. Another thing that might change: if we have leftover exterior siding or oak from our flooring, or even leftover wood from other ceilings in the house that we’re planking, I might end up painting/staining it dark and throwing it on the ceiling, like Moore House Design did here:
I mean, so dreamy, right?
That’s all I have for now. I’ll provide updates on sources and ideas as we get closer to having an actual room to decorate.
